Monty's!

 When I arrived at the sea watch hide a around 07.30 it was empty which told me all I needed to know about the off shore passage this morning. I moved onto The Patch where c100 Common Terns were feeding and c150 Herring Gulls with a few Great and Lesser Black Backed Gulls were loafing on the shore. I carried on to the open ground at the west end of the power station, where a single male Wheatear was feeding, hopefully its mate was nearby on eggs, a flock of c35 Linnets were present and several Ravens could be heard but not seen. At the observatory DW was ringing a Chiffchaff and Blackcap, a Black Redstart was  on the wires. A stroll around The Desert saw a few resident Common Whitethroats, 3 Chiffchaffs and 4 Swallows very meagre fare.
A look around Scotney saw 3 Grey Plover, 2 Marsh Harriers, 4 Yellow Wagtails by the road and the usual feral Geese.
While emptying my MV, Steve Gale http://northdownsandbeyond.blogspot.co.uk/ phoned to say a female Montagu's Harrier was circling the fields SW of my house. My scope was already set up in the drive, as I scanned across the fields all I could find was  Marsh Harriers and Common Buzzards, in desperation I drove down towards the Go Cart track, as I did so the Harrier passed me heading for house, a very quick about turn and even quicker drive back to the house where I could see the harrier coming closer and closer, very quickly it circled in front the house before flying over at c60 feet giving fantastic views, unfortunately I was looking straight into the sun.

 Montagu's Harrier

Montagu's Harrier

Montagu's Harrier

A few minutes after the Harrier went over this Common Buzzard did the same.

I joined AJG at the fishing boats 14.00-15.30

Gannet: 9E
Oystercatcher: 3E   1W
Whimbrel: 35E
Bar-tailed Godwit: 1E
Arctic Skua: 1E
Little Tern: 5E
Common Tern: 41E
Sandwich Tern: 9E
Swallow:17 coasting  E
House Martin: 1 E with Swallows

This evening I visited The Midrips, after climbing over the new sea defence wall and negotiating the Norwegian Boulders I made my way along the sea wall to the lagoons where 17 Avocet, 4 Greenshanks, 3 Whimbrel, 2 Curlew, a Knot, 12 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Grey Plover, 22 Redshank, 12 Dunlin, 2 Sanderling, 9 Ringed Plovers and 14 Oystercatchers were all feeding. 2 male Wheatears were feeding near the entrance, while along the bank Common Whitethroats, Reed Buntings and Meadow Pipits were singing. Then I had to negotiate the obstacle course to get out! Due to the new sea defence work this site is not for the infirm! Of course the MOD could just take the padlock off the gate when they are not using the ranges.

,

Northern France!

A very early start on Monday found myself, Tony, Trevor and David Campbell (DBO assistant Warden) in Crecy Forest at around 07.30 where a reeling Grasshopper Warbler greeted us, followed shortly by Melodious Warbler, Short-toed Treecreepers, fly over Hawfinch. Nightingales, Garden Warblers, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs Willow Warblers and more were singing throughout the forest, the Woodpeckers let us down though with none being seen.

We move on to Sailly Bray which was disappointing by its usual standards, we still saw several Turtle Doves, Black-winged Stilts, Cattle Egrets, White Storks, Song Thrushes, White Wagtails and more Nightingales.

At La Bassee pools the water levels were very high, 100s of Black-headed Gulls were nesting, a couple of Mediterranean Gulls, Cattle Egrets, a pair of Red-crested Pochards among the commoner wildfowl.

Next stop Marquanterre. As we got out the car David Campbell heard a Bonelli's Warbler singing the other side of the car park, which surprisingly turned out to be the first ever one to be recorded there.

Bonelli's Warbler Marquanterre car park

 Spoonbill

 White Stork

White Stork, Spoonbills, Little & Cattle Egrets, Grey Herons.

Around this superb reserve Spoonbills, White Storks, Little and Cattle Egrets were common place, Warblers were singing all around the reserve, Avocets, Black-winged Stilts, Greenshanks, Redshanks, Common Sandpipers, Whimbrel, several Black-necked Grebes, a semi resident Crane, Hobby's also Black Kite and Crested Tits around the car park. The downside to the reserve is the late opening time of 10 A.M. and the ridiculously small viewing holes in the hides which give you back ache or neck ache trying to view the birds, also they made it impossible to get our telescopes onto the Black Kite. The reserve is also very popular with tourists and schools, several coach loads of each were present while we were there. 

Montagu's Harrier

Next stop a short distance from Marquanterre was a superb reed bed by the Somme Estuary which we found last year. Here we had great views of a female Montagu's Harriers, 2 White-spotted Bluethroats, Savi's Warbler, Great White Egrets, flights of Spoonbills, a Peregrine and another Black Kite! and more.

Our last stop was the Oye Plage area. Despite the very high tide we still found 2 Kentish Plovers and Little Terns. On the pools 100s of Sandwich Terns, tens of Avocets, more Black-winged Stilts, Black-necked Grebes, Spoonbills, 3 Ruff, Redshanks, Common Sandpipers and a Wood Sandpiper. A brilliant day out in excellent company ended with a respectable 124 species. 

Spoonbills, Terns, Waders and another Pom Skua.

A late start this morning after a long day in France yesterday.

09.10-11.10 from the sea watch hide with AJG.

Gannet: 17W

Oystercatcher: 2E

Ringed Plover: 2E

Sanderling: 23E

Little Gull: 1E  2nd CY

Little Tern:10E

Sandwich Tern: 34E

Common Tern: 782E

Black Tern: 13+ at The Patch

Harbour Porpoise: 5+

Midday the Yellow Wagtails at Cockles Bridge were still posing on the roadside posts and up to 6 Hobbys were hawking over the fields.

Drake Garganey with 4 Common Scoter this afternoon

14.30-17.45 from the fishing boats with AJG.
Brent Goose: 3E
Shelduck: 1E
Garganey: 1E (Drake)
Common Scoter: 4E
Red-breasted Merganser: 4E
Great-crested Grebe: 9 around
Gannet: 38E      10W
Spoonbill: 3W  (17.15)
Oystercatcher: 5E
Grey Plover: 41E
Knot: 1E
Sanderling: 108E
Dunlin: 3E
Redshank: 1E
Bar-tailed Godwit: 1E
Pomarine Skua: 1E   (16.50)
Arctic Skua: 3E all dark phase
Black-headed Gull: 5E
Mediterranean Gull: 5E
Kittiwake: 8E
Little Tern: 8E
Sandwich Tern: 53E
Common Tern: 1188E
Black Tern: 8E
Swallow: 15N
House Martin: 1N
Yellow Wagtail: 1 N
Linnet: 1N

The Poms keep coming!

 5 Pomarine Skuas lazily flapping by this morning

I arrived  at the sea watch hide around 06.30 with absolutely no expectations, I didn't even take my notebook, so the following is from memory.

06.30-11.00

Brent Goose: 20E

Shelduck: 2E

Shoveler: 4E

Common Scoter: c200E

Red-breasted Merganser: 3E

Black-throated Diver: 4E

Great-crested Grebe: c10 around

Gannet: c100E

Hobby: 1 out

Grey Plover: c8E

Sanderling: 3E

Knot: 1E

Whimbrel: c20E

Pomarine Skua: 17E

Little Gull: 2E

Kittiwake: c15E

Common tern: c200 around

Sandwich tern: c100 around

Alba Wagtail: 1E

Swallow: 6 in

By 11.00 A.M. I was on sea watch over load having seen the best part of 150 Pomarine Skuas in the last few days, I was in need of a full English.

1 of 4 Yellow Wagtails at Cockles Bridge

A stop at Cockles Bridge saw 4 Yellow wagtails, a corn bunting and 2 Red-legged Partridges.

Lunchtime from the garden 6 Hobby's over the fields, 2 Marsh Harriers, 4 Common Buzzards, a Kestrel, a Little Egret and several Grey Herons  coming and going from the Heronry.

On Walland this afternoon 2 Turtle Doves, several Tree Sparrows, 2 Common Buzzards and several Marsh Harriers. 

A day in France tomorrow so hopefully loads of birds.

Morocco day 2 & 3 Ouarzazate to Boumalne du Dades/ Tagdilt track.

Most of day 2 was  spent driving to Boumalne du Dades via Amerzgane and the Tizi-n-Tichkja Pass where we stopped for Tristram's Warbler and manged to see at least 2 though they did not pose for the camera. On the way we also saw Long-legged Buzzards, Bonnelli's Warblers, Melodious Warblers, 2 Barbary Partridges, many Turtle Doves and more. At Amerzgane we saw Maghreb Wheatear that also was camera shy.

Our hotel for a couple of nights at Boumalne du Dades.

Day 3 we drove into the semi desert outside the town where all the target species performed admirably among the flowers of the Desert!!!!

The flowers of the Desert!!!  Discarded polythene bags as far as the eye can see.

 Red-rumped Wheatear (male)

Red-rumped Wheatear (juvenile)

Red-rumped Wheatear (female)

 Desert Wheatear

Desert Wheatear

 Thick-billed Lark

 Thick-billed Lark

Thick-billed Lark

 Temminck's Horned Lark

Temminck's Horned Lark

 Trumpeter Finch

Trumpeter Finch

Thekla Lark

Melodious Warblers were very common in just about every habitat.

Further into semi desert Brahim promised us we would see Pin-tailed Sandgrouse. The car came to a stop and right beside us was a flock of 108 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse.

 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse

Pin-tailed Sandgrouse

Chris, Brahim, Hamid our driver and Mark enjoying al fresco lunch after seeing not 1 but 4  "Gayuin" (Pharaoh Eagle Owls) If you want see them book with http://www.gayuin.com/

 3 Pharaoh Eagle Owls in this picture

 Pharaoh Eagle Owl

Trumpeter Finch nest

Also seen here were Desert Larks, Lanner, Long-legged Buzzards, Woodchat Shrikes, Southern grey Shrikes, Black Wheatears, Pied flycatcher and more Melodious Warblers.

Pomarine Skuas

1 of todays closer Pomarine Skuas

Another marathon sea watch and well worth the pain.

06.15-19.00 

Brent Goose: 25E
Shelduck: 2E
Garganey: 1E
Common Scoter: 321E
Red-breasted Merganser: 5E
Red-throated Diver: 6E
Black-throated Diver: 3E
Great-crested Grebe: 15+ around
Fulmar: 2E  1W
Manx Shearwater: 1W
Gannet: 226E   6W
Oystercatcher: 18E
Ringed Plover: 3E
Grey Plover: 4E
Knot: 8E
Dunlin: 7E
Sanderling: 26E
Bar-tailed Godwit: 13E
Whimbrel: 37E
Great Skua: 3E
Pomarine Skua: 119E
Arctic Skua: 11E
Little Gull: 2E
Kittiwake: 24E
Little Tern: 29E
Sandwich Tern: 244E
Commic Tern: 566E
Black Tern: 1 around
Guillemot: 2 on
Auk sp: 6E
Swallow: 4 in
Harbour Porpoise: 10+
Grey Seal: 1

The Black Tern that fed  along the shore most the day

A few Poms!

A long and sometimes frustrating sea watch today 05.30-18.05. As news of flocks of Pomarine Skuas to the west came through, the wind at Dungeness moved from SE to NE. Typically not long after I left through hunger and cold Nick Green (http://theshadoxhurstgarden.blogspot.co.uk/) had  a flock of 19 past.
Common Scoter: 352E
Long-tailed Duck: 1E
Red-breasted Merganser: 1E
Red-throated Diver: 4E
Black-throated Diver: 2E
Great Northern Diver: 4E
Great-crested Grebe: 17 around
Fulmar: 8E    1W
Gannet: 297E   19W
Great White Egret: 1 out
Oystercatcher: 13E
Whimbrel: 14E
Bar-tailed Godwit: 21E
Knot: 25E
Sanderling: 19E
Dunlin: 1E
Great Skua: 1E
Arctic Skua: 11E + 1 o/s (10DP, 2LP)
Pomarine Skua: 15E  (2-07.10, 1-07.20, 1-11.45, 4-13.08, 2-14.55, 2-15.55, 3-17.21)
Little Gull: 25E
Kittiwake: 73E
Little Tern:20E
Sandwich Tern: 290E
Common Tern: 537E
Arctic Tern: 4E
Black tern: 3E
Guillemot: 1E
Auk sp: 32E  3W
Swallow: 22 in
Harbour Porpoise: 5+
Grey Seal: 1

Morocco 18-19/04/16

At 09.30 18/04/16 Mark Hollingworth, Chris Phillpot  and myself flew into Marakech on an uneventful Easy Jet flight, where we were met by Brahim our guide and proprietor of http://www.gayuin.com/ also our driver Hamid. They quickly loaded our luggage into a Misubishi Pajero which was  our transport for our 11 day visit. As we drove out of Marakech towards Oukaimeden Common and Pallid Swifts were abundant. We mad a short leg stretch break where we saw  Woodchat and Southern Grey Shrike, Little Owl, Hoopoe, Sardinian Warbler, Red-rumped Swallows, Crested Larks and Moroccan Magpie which gave me my first photo opportunity of the trip.

Moroccan Magpie

Arriving at Oukaimeden it was cold and overcast, high above us many Alpine and Red-billed Choughs were sky dancing as we made our way to the bottom of the Ski lift. Around the lift c60 Crimson Winged Finches were feeding and being photogenic.

 Crimson-winged Finch

 Crimson-winged Finch

 Crimson-winged Finch

 Crimson-winged Finch

                                 Atlas Horned Larks were also easy to see on ski lift slope. 

 Atlas Horned Lark

 Atlas Horned Lark

                                                                  Seebohm's Wheatear

The Seebohm's Wheatears gave great scope views but refused to let me get near them to photograph them, probably because I'm to old to leap around rocky slopes these days. While we there Rock Sparrows were seen, African Chaffinches, Blue Rock Thrushes, Moussiers Redstarts, dozens of Black Redstarts, African Blue Tits and an Alpine Accentor.

                                                                    Red-billed Choughs

 After a superb first day we made our to our overnight accommodation arriving as darkness fell.

                                             Mark and Chris relaxing after a long first day

We woke up to a cacophony of Nightingales. Chris and I took a dawn stroll around the superb grounds of the hotel, seeing Cuckoo's, Bee-eaters, House Buntings, Crossbills, a Black-eared Wheatear, Red-rumped Swallows and more.

 House Bunting

                            Red-rumped Swallows collecting mud a dripping tap at the hotel

This morning Brahim had promised us Levaillants Woodpecker, he did not disappoint.

                                                             Levaillant's Woodpeckers

Next stop Boumalne du Dades.

Garden Warbler!

Garden Warbler

A bit of a lay in this morning feeling confident that today would be a slow day after yesterdays marathon session. A text from AJG confirmed that the sea was quiet with 2 Manx Shearwaters, a Great Northern Diver and a Great Skua in the first hour after dawn.

I went straight to the observatory where David Walker was ringing.As I arrived he was ringing a Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat followed by the Garden Warbler above. AJG arrived back at the observatory after his walk around the Long Pits having heard Wood Warbler singing, on the down side he lost his mobile phone somewhere around the pits. We set off to retrace his steps me ringing his phone every few yards unfortunately we didn't find it, but we did hear the Wood Warbler again, also many Common Whitethroats, Lesser Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and a trickle of Swallows over.

A 30 minute sea watch from by the hide was a non event. At the ARC a walk to the pines saw plenty of singing Sedge and Reed Warblers, a couple of Cetti's Warblers and a few Hirundines around.

Another watch from the fishing boats in the company of BM 14.00-15.15:

Common Scoter: 3E

Great-crested Grebe: 19 on

Fulmar: 1 around

Gannet: 15W    6E

Oystercatcher: 3E

Grey Plover: 2W

Kittiwake: 18W

Swallow: out

Late afternoon at Hay field 3 a Wood Sandpiper, 3 Redshank, 4 Dunlin, 2 Ringed Plover, 2 Yellow Wagtails and 2 Little Egrets.

A pale Prominent first of the year from the Plodland MV